


Doctoring a doctor

by FBI



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Illness, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-21 10:26:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2464871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FBI/pseuds/FBI





	Doctoring a doctor

Will knew from the second he woke up that something was off; Frederick wasn’t wrapped around him and there were far more dogs on the bed than usual. He pushed himself up and glanced wearily around the room; nothing was out of place and Frederick was snoring loudly beside him. Will leaned over and wrapped himself around Frederick and pulled back quickly, he was damp and sticky and it was highly unpleasant. Frederick whimpered and wriggled uncomfortably, Will ran his hand through his soaked hair and sighed- he was sick. Again. It was ridiculous and unfair how frequently Frederick got sick, it was the flu last month and God knows what the poor man had caught now. Will decided to leave him be and slipped out of bed and tiptoed out to the kitchen, the dogs scampering after him; he quietly closed the door to the living room, trapping the dogs in the kitchen with him. He opened the back door and allowed the dogs to dart excitedly into the yard; it had snowed again, rather heavily, and there was a thick covering on the ground; he breathed in the morning air deeply and savoured the bite in his lungs. The dogs barked and bounded playfully after one another through the snow, the smaller ones vanishing entirely before reappearing mid-air; Will smiled to himself before turning back into the kitchen to make coffee. He grimaced at the loud squeak of the cupboard door hinges; he removed a mug and left the cupboard open; he set the burner on to boil water, movement could be heard from the living room. He sighed and pushed the door open, Frederick sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, his hair was slick with sweat; Will approached and sat beside him.  
“What is it this time?” He ask, rubbing Frederick’s damp back.  
“I don’t know.” His voice was hoarse and a quieted whisper Will would enjoy the quiet had Frederick not looked so awful. “Fever, sore throat, pounding head, and my nose isn’t working; thank God, otherwise I don’t think I’d have been able to sleep here, your bed smells like dog, wet dog actually, you shouldn’t let them on the furniture when they’re dry let alone wet.” Will rolled his eyes, even sick he won’t stop complaining, or he was babbling to cover up how awful he actually felt. He put his arm around Frederick and pulled him into a hug; he stopped talking and submerged his face in the soft fabric of Will’s shirt. Will ran one hand up and down Frederick’s back, tangling the other his wet hair.  
“Your throat will feel better if you stop talking.”  
“That isn’t medical fact at all, Will.” His muffled voice vibrated against Will’s chest.  
“Shut up Frederick, I’ll make you some tea, get back in bed.” Frederick clung onto him a little longer after Will let go and reluctantly climbed back under the covers; he did look ill, his face was a little puffy and sheened with sweat; his hair was damp and clung desperately to his forehead. Will grabbed a box of tea out of the cupboard and brewed a pot. He re-entered the living room and frowned sympathetically at the sight of Frederick bundled up in the blankets, shaking slightly; He sat on the side of the bed by him and handed the mug over.  
“I think you’ve got a cold.” He brushed the hair from his forehead and sighed. Frederick took the mug in his shaking hands and drank from it, before glaring at the cup. “What?”  
“I can’t taste it, did you leave the leaves in long enough.” He looked suspiciously at Will; he snorted before running his hand down Frederick’s cheek.  
“Drink your tea, Freddy.”  
“Don’t call me that.” He huffed, dropping back against the head board, a tiny amount of tea splashing on to the bed covers.  
“I’m going to run you a bath, my dad always said the best cure for a cold is to sweat it out.”  
“No offense but I don’t think your father’s a qualified doctor.” Will stood from the bed and walked towards the bathroom; the wooden floor was cold beneath his feet, if he wanted to continue to have Frederick staying over he’d have to invest in space heaters, Frederick wasn’t fond of the cold and Will was pretty sure it would make him ill more often. He ran the water hot before plugging up the drain and allowing the tub to fill; one of the smaller dogs sat beside him in the bathroom and licked his hand to gain his attention; he pet it’s head before returning his attention to the water. He dipped his hand into it to test the temperature before calling Frederick, around a minute later Frederick slowly trudged into the bathroom, still wrapped in the quilt. Will smiled, stood and pried Frederick out of the blanket; he whimpered at the sudden barrage of cold.  
“You’ll warm up in the tub, come on.” He reached out and pulled Frederick’s shirt off and cringed at the sopping garb; Frederick stood awkwardly. “What? Oh come on, I’ve seen you naked before.”   
“In the dark.” He mumbled, stepping out of his pyjama trousers; Will took his cane from him and helped him into the water.  
“Well you look the same in the light you know.” Frederick splashed water at him and settled into the steaming tub, closing his eyes; Will sat on the floor beside the bath and ran his hand through the water.  
“Are you going to watch me the whole time?” He asked, cracking open an eye; Will ran his hand up and down Frederick’s forearm.  
“You might fall asleep and drown.”   
“I’m doubtful, but thank you for your concern.” He closed his eyes again and relaxed into the bath.  
“You want tea?” Will asked quietly, Frederick nodded; he stood and gathered Frederick’s discarded clothes and blanket from the floor and placed them on the bed before shutting the bathroom door. The dogs were pawing at the kitchen; he carefully opened it and allowed the dogs to scarper into the living room. He boiled another pan of water and allowed the tea leaves to stew slightly longer than last time; not that he hadn’t adequately brewed the tea long enough last time, but Frederick’s sense of taste had obviously gone out with his sense of smell. He gathered the mug and some clean towels and shuffled past the dogs and into the bathroom; Frederick lay with his eyes shut, breathing through his mouth.   
“You awake?” Frederick made a noise in acknowledgement. “I left the tea leaves in longer this time.” Frederick opened an eye as Will placed the cup on the edge of the bath; he sat on the closed lid of the toilet.   
“You really are going to sit and watch me, aren’t you?”  
“I have nothing better to do.”  
“You’re a strange man.” He picked up the cup and closed his eyes again, melting into the side of the bath. Will sat silently and watched Frederick; motionless, occasionally moving to sip from the cup in his hands. “Could you please occupy yourself in some other way?” Frederick looked over at Will, he fidgeted with his shirt under Frederick’s gaze.  
“I’ll go make breakfast.”  
“Please do.” Will stood from his seat and headed to the kitchen, a rabble of dogs trailing behind him. He gathered up some eggs and bacon from the fridge; he glanced to the dogs and placed the food on the bench before herding the dogs out into the garden. Will spent an extra five minutes trying to figure out if Frederick could eat bacon and eggs before deciding there’s a bowl of fruit on the counter if not.  
Frederick slid further into the water until it reached just below his nose; even if he couldn’t sweat the cold out he could at least have a peaceful bath; excluding his voyeur boyfriend and his pack pawing at the door. In a strange way he liked being sick; not the feeling, but how attentive Will becomes when he so much as sniffles. He may or may not lay it on a little thick when he wants a little more attention. He tilted his head back to wet his hair, spluttering as a little water went up his nose, and ran his hands through it; the dogs scratching was muffled under the water and he stayed in the position for a few minutes before sitting up again. The lack of scratching told him that there was food; he dropped back against the bath and waited for Will to come and try to pry him from the warmth of the bath.   
“Frederick, breakfast.” Will called, rapping quietly at the door.  
“Yeah.”  
“Do you need help?” Frederick glared at his cane propped against the opposite wall before giving his legs the same treatment.  
“Yes.” Will pushed the door open gently and stepped in, shoving the dogs back into the living room; Frederick maneuvered himself to where he could push himself up and waited for Will to take his hand. Will took Frederick’s hand and pulled him up; Frederick letting out a laboured noise as he reached his feet. Will held his hand as he stepped out of the bath and wrapped him a worn towel; Frederick tucked it around his waist.  
“Feeling any better?”  
“No, not at all.” He huffed, not that he didn’t enjoy the soak, he was just secretly hoping Will’s father was right.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Why? It’s not like you infected me.” He looked suspiciously at Will; who raised an eyebrow at the ridiculous insinuation. “Go and make coffee while I get dressed.” Frederick made a shooing motion with his hand as he opened the door to the living room.  
“Don’t you need clothes for that?” Will smirked, petting one of the dogs as he walked by.  
“I had assumed that as my partner you would offer to loan me some.” Frederick crossed his arms and watched as Will opened a drawer.  
“They may be a little” he paused and looked Frederick up and down “snug.”  
“I am aware that I’m bigger than you, I’m asking for sweatpants, not a suit.” Will rolled his eyes and threw a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt at him. “Thank you.” Frederick shut himself back in the bathroom; Will headed back to the kitchen and started boiling water for the coffee. The dogs were still following him; looking back and forward between him and the plates of food.  
“No.” He stated and pointed to the living room, the dogs walked slowly out of the room; Frederick stepped past the hoard and into Will’s open arms, squeaking as the enveloped him. “How are you?” Frederick buried his face into Will’s shoulder.  
“Awful, stop asking.” Will rubbed his back before pushing him off and kissing his forehead, which always cheered Frederick up a little. “I’m hungry.”  
“I know, I could hear your stomach from the bathroom.” Will chuckled, setting the table.  
“Shut up and feed me.” Frederick whined as he sat down; one of the smaller dogs pawed at his leg until he reached down to pet its head.   
“Can you eat bacon?”  
“Yes. Did you seriously cook something not knowing if I can eat it?”  
“I wanted bacon.” Will placed a plate in front of Frederick and brought over the pot of coffee “Not everything I do is for your benefit.” He sat down opposite Frederick and poured coffee into his and Frederick’s mugs, sliding it over and grabbing the paper from the middle of the table. There was a lag in the conversation as they ate; the dogs pattered in circles around the table hoping for someone to drop something.   
“We could go for a walk. The cold’s meant to open your airways.” Will closed the newspaper and looked over to Frederick; he placed his cutlery on the empty plate and pushed it away.  
“There’s a foot of snow outside and I need a cane, Will.”  
“It’ll help.”  
“You said a hot bath would help.” Will collected the dishes from the table and placed them by the sink.  
“A cold walk could help.” Frederick crossed his arms and drew his eyebrows together; it may have been threatening had he not looked so tired. “Come on, you could use the exercise.” Will goaded, Frederick’s mouth opened in indignation and started to reply but Will cut him off “The dogs need walked too.”  
“I just want to go back to sleep.” Frederick whined and slouched back into the chair.  
“You can when we get back, come on.” He took Frederick’s hands and pulled him up, he groaned as he stood and held onto Will until he was handed his cane.  
“Fine, but half an hour at the most.”  
“You’re a very lazy man,”  
“No, I’m a very sick and tired man.” He grumbled as Will pushed him through to the bedroom. “And I have to wear the same clothes as yesterday.”   
“You can borrow a t-shirt.”  
“You’re so kind.” He replied sarcastically, pulling off his borrowed sweatpants. “Could you extend your kindness to a sweater?”  
“I suppose it’s possible.” He smiled and handed the garments over to Frederick.  
The sweater fit snugly and rode up when he moved his arms; Will wrapped his scarf around his neck for him and kissed his nose.  
“It’s a little tight.” He whined.  
“Yes, but you look adorable,”  
“Don’t call me that.” Frederick pulled on his gloves and Will helped him into his coat.  
“Fine, you look very handsome.” He held Frederick’s face in his hands and rubbed circles with his thumbs.  
“That’s better.” He turned his nose up and started buttoning his coat; Will pulled on his own jacket and scarf. Frederick reached up and pulled Will’s hat on for him. “Collect your mongrel pack so I can come home and sleep.” Will whistled and the dogs galloped through and barked excitedly at the door. Will took Frederick’s gloved hand in his own and lead him out of the door; the snow came to just above his ankles and an annoyed grunt came sounded from his throat.  
“Don’t start complaining.” Will pulled Frederick into him and put his arm around his waist; Frederick herded as close to Will as he could without compromising his ability to walk.  
“But it’s cold.” He mumbled; the dogs bounded through the snow, tripping over each other and chasing flakes that drifted from the sky. “Your dogs are idiots.”   
“They’re dogs Frederick.”  
They walked in silence for twenty minutes before Frederick decided he missed the sound of his voic.  
“It’s been over half an hour.” He nudged Will with the head of his cane as Will threw a ball of snow for the dogs to chase.  
“It’s only been forty minutes, Frederick.”  
“Well, you agreed to half an hour.” Frederick linked his arm through Will’s and tried to pull him.  
“Don’t be so lazy, it’s not like you come with me very often.””  
“I’m really ill, please can we go?” Will looked down at him and he truly did look ill. “Will, my scar’s hurting, my leg’s hurt, and I feel awful. Can we please just go home?” His voice cracked and he was sniffling; he felt bad about dragging him along. Will pulled him into a hug and he whimpered against his ice coated jacket.  
“Okay.” He smiled and took his hand again; Frederick didn’t move. “What?”   
“I don’t think I can walk.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I can’t feel my leg.” He averted his eyes and talked towards Will’s shoes. Will sighed and crouched in front of him.  
“What on earth are you doing?”  
“Piggyback, come on, up.” He reached back and waggled his hands to urge Frederick over. Frederick stepped over hesitantly and straddled Will’s back and placed a hand on either of his shoulders. Will placed his hands under Frederick’s thighs and stood slowly, letting out a strained moan.  
“You’re really heavy.”  
“Shut up; consider it a punishment for forcing me into this.” Frederick wrapped his arms around Will’s neck and settled comfortably against him; Will hoisted him up a little higher before taking the cane in his hand and starting off towards home. His steps were slow and staggering; Frederick could probably walk, he was just pulling the drama-queen act again. However over dramatic Frederick could be, Will felt he owed it to him for pulling him out of bed; he did just want to go back to sleep after all.   
Frederick’s chin rested on his shoulder and his breath was hot against his ear, he talked incessantly for twenty minutes before falling silent. Will looked back with cautious worry and relaxed at the sight of Frederick snoring gently on his back. He smiled despite the slight annoyance burning in his chest and leaned forward slightly as to keep Frederick on his back; he walked a little quicker, his legs shaking under him. Frederick’s grip tightened around Will’s shoulders and he nuzzled his face against his neck, mumbling and pressing his face into his scarf.   
It took a little longer to get home with the added weight of Frederick, the dogs trotted along beside him, breath coming out in tiny clouds. Will stomped the snow from his boots on the porch and pushed into the house, Frederick grunted and tightened his arms around Will’s neck; Will panicked and quickly moved to place Frederick on the sofa. He dropped him unceremoniously onto the couch and Frederick curled in on himself and groaned before falling back into snoring. Will sighed and pulled off his hat, he couldn’t leave Frederick in his coat and shoes; he removed his jacket and hung it by the door. He turned back to the couch and pulled off Frederick’s gloves and scarf; Frederick wriggled onto his side, Will moved to the other end of the couch and pulled off his shoes for him. Getting coat of was a challenge in itself, but after around five minutes of struggle he flung the garb in frustration across the room and hastily picked it up as one of the dogs tried to curl up on it- Frederick would not appreciate dog hair on his coat. He chuckled at the ruffled doctor snoozing on the sofa and sat on the arm of the chair, petting his hair lightly; Frederick muttered something and smiled at the contact. Will went and retrieved the covers from the bed and draped it over Frederick, he hesitated for a second before stripping it back again and curling in beside him and pulling the blanket over them both, he ran his arms around Frederick’s waist and his face into his hair and drifted off with him.  
Frederick woke up a few hours later with a warm weight against his back, he reached behind him and felt a familiar thigh and smiled. A wave of realisation swept over him and he groaned, he’d obviously fallen asleep on the walk home, his skin heated up and he removed his hand from Will’s thigh to cover his reddening face. He groaned again at the gentle chuckle elicited in his hair, Will’s hands moved to where his jumper had ridden up and rubbed circles on the exposed skin.  
“Did you sleep well?” The amused grin was evident in his voice.  
“Shut up.” He shoved his face into the pillow.  
“Were you comfortable?”  
“Stop talking.” His voice was muffled by the fabric.  
“Do you feel any better?”  
“No, worse.” Will sat up a little and pushed Frederick’s hair behind his ear.  
“Not even a little better?” Frederick moved around to face Will and nestled against him, he shook his head and pressed his nose to his collar bone. “Do you want to go back to sleep?” He felt Frederick nod against his chest, Will kissed the top of Frederick’s head and rubbed his back until he fell back asleep.


End file.
